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Introduction

The Bruker Tracer 5 pXRF makes contact elemental measurements on section halves and prepared powder mounts. The device emits a primary X-Ray beam that bombards the material and excites electrons. The movement of electrons emits secondary fluorescent radiation that is measured by a detector in the device. These energy patterns are characteristic to elements and determine what is present. The Tracer 5 pXRF can be run either independently or through an attached pc laptop. The Bruker RemoteCtrl software mirrors what is present on the screen of the Tracer5 and all functions are the same.

Before you begin: The instrument generates X-rays and should be only operated by authorized users trained in radiation safety. Do not expose any part of your body to X-rays!

Getting Started

Place a fully charged battery into the Tracer5 by opening the bottom of the handle. Alternatively, insert the AC adapter labeled ‘pXRF Power Cord’ into the power port below the screen (Fig. 1, B) and plug the cord into a regulated power outlet.

Figure 1. Power button (Left, arrow) and ports, A) Remote port, for connection to optional accessories, B) Power port, C) USB-A port with storage device installed, D) USB Mini-B port, for connection to a computer or laptop.

Note: The device can be used on its own or it can be connected to a laptop and, using the program Bruker RemoteCtrl , the device screen will be mirrored on the laptop. On the laptop, log in using the daq profile (Name: daq, Password: daq). Once logged in, connect the device to the laptop using the USB cord labeled ‘pXRF to computer cord’ connected to the device in the USB Mini-B port (Fig. 1, D).

Turn on the Tracer5 by pressing and holding for the power button for 1-2 seconds (Fig. 1, Left) and the device will initialize.

Open the RemoteCtrl program found on the desktop and select ‘File’ and ‘Connect’. A smaller window will open and the device’s serial number will appear in the box (Fig. 2). Highlight the serial number and select ‘OK’.

The following screens and functions can be accessed on the device itself or using RemoteCtrl.

Once the Login screen appears (Fig. 3, Left), select the ‘Login’ button, enter the password (54321) (Fig. 3, Center) and select ‘Ok’. A radiation warning will be displayed, press and release the trigger to acknowledge this warning.

Figure 2. Connecting to BrukerRemoteCtrl.

Figure 3. Login Screen (Left), Passcode enter screen (Center), and current settings shown after Login (Right).

Then the current application will be displayed, as well as a few other details (Fig. 3, Right). Select ‘Ok’.

You are now in the main display screen (Fig. 4). Note: The device is armed with a proximity sensor and will display ‘Not Armed’ until something is placed in front of the device measurement window. Once the proximity sensor detects a surface or sample, the box will become green and display ‘Ready to Test’.

Figure 4. The main display screen (Left, X-ray is not armed. Right, X-ray is armed and ready to measure).

Application and Settings

The current application can be changed by selecting ‘Application’, choosing a different application type and selecting ‘OK’. This device has 5 applications installed. The best application for our purposes is GeoExploration. Each application has different scanning parameters which preferentially pick up some elements better than others. The device will keep the chosen application until manually changed.

Some application settings, such as beam scan duration, can be adjusted by selecting ‘Settings’ on the main display screen. Select ‘Ok’ when finished adjusting the following settings:

  • Duration: This screen will display the number of phases used by the current application. The time in seconds spent on each phase can be adjusted or set to unlimited (ending when the trigger is released). Note: The longer the scan time, the greater the accuracy and precision and the lower the error. For geological samples, 1 minute per phase or longer is not uncommon, but not required.
  • First Result/Test: This is the number of seconds before results will be shown on the display once a measurement has been triggered.
  • Trigger Active: The trigger can be set to ‘Auto’ or ‘Manual’ by selecting this button.
    • Auto: The measurement proceeds by pressing and releasing the trigger. Preferred
    • Manual: The trigger must be pressed for the duration of the measurement. If the trigger is released at any time during the measurement, measuring will stop.

Making a Measurement

Edit Sample Information

On the main display, click the ‘Edit Info’ button in the middle of the bottom row of buttons. This screen (Fig. 5) is where the sample information is entered or modified. All fields in the right column are editable by double clicking and should be reviewed and changed for each sample:

  • Sample Type:
    • Standard – a powdered standard in a sample cup
    • SHLF – a measurement taken directly on a section half or of a piece from a section half
    • PWDR – a powdered sample in a sample cup
    • Discrete – for any other samples
  • Expedition: The current expedition, example 397.
  • Site & Hole: The site and hole the sample was taken from, example: U1586A.
  • Core/Section: The core number with letter indicating the core type and the section in that core that is being measured or that the sample was taken from, example: 1H/6. If measuring a standard, enter the standard name, example: BCR 2 or BHVO 2.
  • TextID: The unique sample number for every sample. This is found on the lower right corner of the typical sample label, example: SHLF11754181. If measuring a standard, use the information from the appropriate QAQC label provided. If a standard does not have a QAQC label, leave this field blank.
  • Top Offset (cm):
    • For a section half or sample from a section half (discrete, unaltered piece), this is the distance from the top of the core section, example: 34 or 101.5 (Do not put a range, just the beginning number of the measured area or sample).
    • For powdered, other discrete samples and standards, use 0.
  • Comment: Use this to provide any additional information, such as a physical description for reference or to indicate a replicate measurement.

Figure 5. The ‘Edit Info’ screen.

Click 'OK' in the lower left corner of the screen. The display will return to the main display screen.

Fill out the Log Sheet 

Remember to manually fill out the Log Sheet as you are editing the sample information. For the current version of the log sheet, do not worry about the Run#, this will be automatically assigned and you can fill that in after the measurement starts. It is important to fill in the Time (in UTC) as this will help the X-Ray technician match up the sample with the measurement and correct any errors, if any, before uploading the data. The most important information is the sample TextID and the Offset (if from a SHLF) as these are unique values needed to upload the data to LIMS.

Execute a Scan

There are 2 ways to initiate a scan:

If the device is connected to the laptop select ‘Trigger Pull (F6)’ along the top of the RemoteCtrl program window or press F6. The measurement will begin and continue until finished. Note: If the device is moved away from the sample, the measurement will stop!

If you are not connected the laptop press the device to the sample, the proximity sensor will detect a sample and the device will be armed for measurement. Press and release the trigger. The measurement will begin and continue until finished. Note: If the device is moved away from the sample, the measurement will stop!

A beep will sound when the device has finished measuring and the device can be moved away from the sample or repositioned for the next measurement. At this point, the previous measurement’s data has been stored and added to the results file.

Exporting Files

To export the results, connect the device to the computer if not already connected.

Open the Bruker Instrument Tools program found on the desktop. Go to Device, then Connect  and select 900G7838. Click Connect (Fig. 6 and 7).

Figure 6. Menu bar of Bruker Instrument Tools.

Figure 7. Connection window of Bruker Instrument Tools.

After connection, a file tree will appear on the left side of the program window. Select the folder ‘Bruker’ and double click to open it. Then select the ‘Data’ folder and double click to open. Inside this folder is a series of .pdz files, a .tsv file for each application used, and a .csv file.

The Tracer updates the ‘Data’ folder after each new measurement with an associated .pdz file and also adds the data to the appropriate application .tsv file and .csv ‘Results’ file. When you export, all data files should be downloaded all or just selected .pdz files, but the .tsv and .csv files will have all measurements that have been taken since the most recent internal memory clean-up.

Highlight the files you want to download and then select the ‘Download’ option in the toolbar of the program window. A smaller window will appear and here you can select the location you wish to download the files to.

Opening the file in Excel

The .csv file is not set up well for further data processing, however, the .tsv file can be opened in Excel in a more user-friendly set up to work with.

Open a new workbook and go to the Data tab and select .

You will be prompted to your computer saved folders and you can select the folder where you saved the GeoExploration.tsv file.

Once you find the folder select All Files in the bottom right (Fig. 8). Then select the GeoExploration.tsv file and click Import. (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. Finding the GeoExploration file

A window will open showing you a preview of the file. Select 'Tab' from the 'Delimiter' drop down menu options if it is not already there. Click Load. (Fig. 9)

Figure 9. Data Preview

The data will be exported to Excel and should look like Figure 10. The editable column information (sample information) will be the last columns to the right

Figure 10. Exported file from pXRF device.

This file can then be saved in Uservol through the server (once you have signed in) to access for data processing. The file may contain repeat data, simply delete the rows of unwanted data.

Note: The internal memory of the device is only 512MB (~1200 scans)! Therefore, the internal memory may need to be cleaned up several times an expedition to prevent locking up the device’s onboard computer. Additionally, it is important to keep the number of files in the Data folder of the USB The X-ray technician will take care of this, but keep this in mind if you are performing a lot of measurements!


Credits: J. Riekenberg and B. Cervera

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